Sauce Named Biz Journal Marketing, Advertising, PR Disruptor

Our very own Sauce Boss, Kim Garmon Hummel was featured in this week's Memphis Business Journal. As part of the List of Lists series, Sauce Marketing was featured as one of the top Advertising Agencies in Memphis. That part was cool. But the coolest was seeing a full page article adjacent the list naming Kim and Sauce as the 2019 Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations Disruptor! We've done you the favor of including the article below: 

Kick up the Flavor & Grow Smarter With Sauce!

• Who or what is currently disrupting your business or industry right now?

Most would tell you that keeping up with the amazing advances in technology and how consumers are using them is a constant disruptor in advertising and marketing. From the growing Internet of Things (IoT) to Augmented and Virtual Reality, video marketing — which is growing and not going to go away anytime soon — and even influencer marketing.

However, I would say the biggest disrupter is the consumer’s demand for an exceptional experience. For a company to truly grow, they must adapt to providing a seamlessly delightful experience from the first touchpoint, which more than 85% of the time is digital, and every one thereafter. Aligning the processes and people who work in sales, marketing and fulfillment to consistently provide the customer’s desired experience is critical.

The advances I mentioned first are simply a way to provide this experience but at the end of the day, it all comes back to the experience you provide. Did I press the importance of the customer experience enough there?

• Do you think hiring the right people is a science or an art?

Both. Culture fit and soft skills are a top priority at Sauce. Desire to learn and the belief that we should never stop learning are also high on our list. We use a little science in the form of artificial intelligence and the art of the gut check to ensure we have the right people in the right seats in our organization.

• The advice you would give to professionals just getting started out in your industry.

My advice would be to never stop learning and growing. Natural curiosity is the key to innovation.

• How do you stay driven to stay ahead of industry trends?

The natural curiosity and passion of Team Sauce drives each of us individually and together as a whole to seek innovation in all we do. We’re excited by the psychology behind marketing and how to capture attention, influence behaviors with subtle cues, and provide a consistently delightful experience. This moves us to look at new possibilities using technology and neuroscience. There are so many new doors being opened every day and we’re energized by being able to explore and utilize them to help our clients #GrowSmarter!

• Biggest Challenge in your industry right now?

The biggest challenge that we face in marketing is how we use the technology and data we collect. At Sauce, we have very clear ethical lines, especially regarding what is and is not okay to do with this data. Our goal is to tailor and personalize the messaging and experience for each user. While many users react positively towards this, they still value their privacy both online and offline. An additional challenge to navigate is the ever-increasing amount and granular detail of the data available to us. So, the challenge is to develop and deliver these personalized experiences without seeming intrusive.

• Can you talk about the most exciting thing you are working on right now, or have recently completed?

We are working with several clients on strategy, implementation, consulting and training, but many have asked us to sign an NDA; so, I can’t share too much about those projects. However, there are a couple of projects that I can share.

One is the St. Louis Catholic School website. A school of that size has many moving parts. We enjoyed working with the staff at St Louis to organize and optimize their website. Our goal was 3-fold: 1. Make sure it looks amazing. 2. Reduce the friction between parents and the information they are seeking. 3. Build the site in a way that the staff at the school could update and add to it without needing us. So far, all of the feedback we’ve received says we hit the nail on the head.

We’re also working on is the rebrand of a restaurant on the square in Oxford, Mississippi. After a couple of failed attempts at communicating to their audience that they weren’t just a wine bar, the establishment formerly known as “The Wine Bar Restaurant” engaged with us to clarify their brand and align their story with the experience they provide. We developed a brand identity and interior aesthetic that pair with Chef Erika Lipe’s amazing cuisine to deliver a unique and fresh dining experience.